United States: Antivaccine radio host with Covid-19 changes his mind
A vaccination center in Tennessee.
In this state, the Covid-19 now mainly affects the unvaccinated.
REUTERS - KAREN PULFER FOCHT
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
In the United States, authorities continue to call on the population to be vaccinated, especially in the southern states.
The majority of new cases involve unvaccinated people.
This is the case of a famous radio host from Tennessee opposed to vaccination, and now hospitalized with a serious form.
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With our correspondent in New York,
Loubna Anaki
For months, in his radio show, Phil Valentine mocked the vaccination against Covid-19, assured that it was useless, defended his freedom to choose and encouraged his listeners to do the same.
"
The chances that I catch the Covid-19 and that I die are very low
", he launched on the air recently.
Today, the radio host is hospitalized in intensive care at a hospital in Nashville, Tennessee.
61-year-old Phil Valentine tested positive for Covid-19 a week ago and is suffering from severe pneumonia.
In a statement released on Saturday, his family is now calling on his listeners to be vaccinated urgently.
“
Pray for Phil and go get the shot,
” reads.
Position reversals
Those close to Phil Valentine also explain that the host regrets his comments against the vaccine and that he is eager to return to work to raise public awareness of the dangers of Covid-19.
Faced with the resurgence of the Delta variant among the unvaccinated population, more and more conservative personalities and politicians have changed their positions.
Even the Fox News channel launched a campaign calling for vaccination last week.
All this while the question of the compulsory vaccine is raised more and more often.
►Also read: United States: the vaccine is progressing in people's minds, despite reluctance
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United States
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